Blinken: Israel focus on operations targeting Hamas leaders

Speaking at a last-year press conference, Mr. Blinken said that once this change occurs, the damage to the civilian population should be significantly reduced. He reiterated the call for Israel to pay attention to obligations to minimise civilian victims while continuing to pursue the goal of destroying Hamas.

It is clear that the conflict should be passed on to a stage of lower intensity“, Mr. Blinken told reporters. “We expect to see and we want to see a shift towards more focused operations, with a smaller number of forces, which are really focused on the leaders of Hamas, his network of tunnels and some other critical aspects”, he said.

“While such a thing happens, I think you will see and significantly reduce the damage caused to civilians”.

Israel has faced mounting pressure from its Western allies to contain the military attack on Gaza, which has destroyed most of the region with a dense population. The operations began in response to Hamas' terrorist attack on October 7th, during which the militant group killed 1200 people and took some 240 others hostage.

Washington, Israel's closest ally, has publicly demanded in the past week that this country reduce the intensity of the operation reduces inclusiveness in a campaign targeting Hamas leaders, as well as ending what American President Joe Biden called “Subverting”.

“We continue to believe that Israel does not need to choose between eliminating the risk that Hamas poses and undermining the number of civilians in Gaza”, said Mr. Blinken. “He has an obligation to do both and has a strategic interest to do both“.

But he added that he was also surprised by what he described as a lack of requests from other countries that Hamas hand over arms and surrender and he called for pressure on the group to take these steps and end the war.

We hear many countries seeking to end the conflict, one thing that we all love, but practically I don't hear any t'I ask Hamas, so that he doesn't continue to hide behind the civilian population, to drop weapons, and to surrender“, he said.

“The war would end tomorrow if Hamas did that“, Mr. Blinken said. / VOA